The philosopher responds : an intellectual correspondence from the tenth century Abū Ḥayyān al-Tawḥīdī, Abū 'Alī Miskawayh ; edited by Bilal Orfali and Maurice Pomerantz ; translated by Sophia Vasalou and James E. Montgomery ; volume editor, Devin J. Stewart.

Includes bibliographies and index.

Intro; Letter from the General Editor; Map: Buyid and Neighbouring Lands; The Philosopher Responds; On the influence of companions on a person's character and on the benefits of companionship; On why people scorn certain forms of ostentatious demeanor and why individuals aren't simply allowed to do as they please; On what the soul seeks in this world and on the nature of human beings; On the nature and attributes of God; On why people experience fear in the absence of an apparent cause; On why people fly into a rage when they can't open a lock; On why people with small heads have light brains

On certain beliefs concerning the relation between a person's facial hair and his characterOn why people racked by suffering find it easy to face death; On why people denigrate things they fail to attain and are hostile to things of which they are ignorant; On why it is easier to make enemies than friends; On why atheists act morally; On why some people willingly become the butt of other people's jokes; On why people love to occupy positions of eminence; On why we honor people for the achievements of their ancestors but not those of their progeny

On why the progeny of illustrious people evince an elevated sense of entitlement and self-importanceOn whether it would be more consistent with the true order of things if all people were honored equally; On different forms of divination; On why some people dislike being addressed as "old man" while others relish it; On why people take comfort from knowing they are not alone in their misfortune; On the virtues of different nations, such as the Arabs, Byzantines, Persians, and Indians; On why intelligent people are more susceptible to grief

On why intrinsic merit and worldly fortune do not coincideOn the meaning of coincidence; On the nature of compulsion and choice; On the reason for the wanderlust experienced by certain people; On why people desire knowledge, and on the benefits of knowledge; On why people and other animals respond so powerfully to certain kinds of sounds and musical effects; On why older people are more liable to hope; on the meaning of "hope" and related terms; On why women are more jealous than men; on the nature and moral status of jealousy; On why more people die young than die old

On why people seek likenessesOn why we find it easier to represent extreme ugliness in our imagination than exquisite beauty; On why sudden joy affects people so violently; On why we experience states of suffering more intensely than states of well-being; On why seeing someone laughing causes others to laugh; On why human beings are so attached to the world despite the misfortunes and suffering they experience in it; On why people say the world would fall to ruin if it weren't for fools; On the anxiety experienced by people who have something to hide

On why we are more likely to heed a preacher who practices what he preaches

Questions and answers from two great philosophersWhy is laughter contagious? Why do mountains exist? Why do we long for the past, even if it is scarred by suffering? Spanning a vast array of subjects that range from the philosophical to the theological, from the philological to the scientific, The Philosopher Responds is the record of a set of questions put by the litterateur Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi to the philosopher and historian Abu 'Ali Miskawayh. Both figures were foremost contributors to the remarkable flowering of cultural and intellectual life that took place in the Islamic world during the reign of the Buyid dynasty in the fourth/tenth century. The correspondence between al-Tawhidi and Miskawayh holds a mirror to many of the debates and preoccupations of the time and reflects the spirit of rationalistic inquiry that animated their era. It also provides insight into the intellectual outlooks of two thinkers who were divided as much by their distinctive temperaments as by the very different trajectories of their professional careers. Alternately whimsical and tragic, wondering and brooding, trivial and profound, al-Tawhidi's questions provoke an interaction as interesting in its spiritedness as in its content. This new edition of The Philosopher Responds is accompanied by the first full-length English translation of this important text, bringing this interaction to life for the English reader.

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